Golf tee and method of making same



Jan. 17,' 1928.

H. A. TOTTEN GOLF TEE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 28, 1927 Jan. 17, 1928. v 1,656,401

I H. A. TOTTEN GOLF m: AND METHOD OF MAKING mm Filed Feb. 28 1927 2 sheets-sheet 2 Fig.6

- Inventor.

Patented Jan. 17, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. TO'ITEN, OF BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA.

. GOLF 'rnnann mn'riion or MAKING sum.

Application filed I'ebruary 28, 1927. Serial No. 171,588.

My invention relates to golf-tees.

To replace the moistened-sand tee, which. has many objectionable features, not the least of which is the cost of maintenance,

I several substitutes have been devised in the form of individual structures or bodiesadapted to temporarily penetrate the ground and elevate the ball for a drive. But, owing tothe nature and environment of thegame,

both psychological and physical, it has been diflicult to regard, economy as of any great moment, and the consequence has been that i i the tees thus substituted, while serving for greater convenience and cleanliness than the moistened-sand tees, have been made of materials and in decorative forms and packing,

which have seemed to warrantan excessive charge. A good example of this is the ornamentally turned tee, in the preparation of which necessarily only one is made ata time,

thus involving initial ex ense; and to this expense is added relative y handsome packing in comparatively small numbers so that by the time it reaches the player, a price per 5 box of a few of these tees is such that only the vanity of the purchaser supports him in the urchase.

T e object of my invention is to remedy this difliculty in the interest of economy, and

this end I secure by providing a tee the manufacturing cost of whichisso small that it is likely to reach the player for a small price .or even to be supplied in quantity,

gratis, by the club. i

5 The nature of m tee as a new article of manufacture, and t e novel method of making it will now be fully described and ascertamed in and by the following specification,

read in connection withthe accompanying with a ball-support 2. This support is of a drawings in which Fig. 1 is a'perspective view of a block,

' broken at the back, from which the tees are to be cut. i

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the block 4.6 of Fig. 1, showing the cutting in the top and bottom, in one direction, of thegrooves comprising the ball-supporting sockets of the tees.

3 is a perspective view of the block, 59 showing the cutting, in other direction, of said grooves, theintersection of which with the first named grooves completesthe ballsupporting sockets.

' block.

Fig. is a fragmentary plan of the socketed block being presented to a gang of saws to successively make the. oppositely inclined cuts of the tees from the front side.

. Fig. 5 is a similar plan showing the presen. tationof the block to a single saw at each end, oppositel it relatively inclined and adapted to ma e the remaining cuts alternately from the ends of the block.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the com-' pleted tee. Fig. 7 is a broken section of the tee showmg a ba'll supported upon it.

Fig. 8 1s a front elevation of the block, showing it in a holder, and presented to a planer. head to form the ball-supporting grooves.

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the block, showing it in a tiltable holder, adapting it to be presented to a gang, of saws by which the tees are formed in and cut from the Referring first to Fig. 6, it willbe seen that the novel tee, which, as a new article of manufacture, I shall herein claim as the product of the novel process also claimed here1n,,is a pyramidal body 1, polygonal in cross section and having plane sides, three or more in number, here shown, for example, as four. Although in Fig. 6, the tee, with respect to its pyramidal form, is inverted in order, as shown in Fig. 7 to serve its function of enetrating the ground for uprightness, I s all herein refer to its smaller end as its vertex, and to its larger end as its base, notwithstanding that in use as a tee, the smaller is its lower end and the larger is its to x he base of the pyramidal tee 1 is formed socket nature, the cavity being formed and bordered b uprising points 3, corresponding in num er to the number of the pyramid faces, and are, consequently, hereshown as four. These points are angular in cross section, due to intersecting V-grooves made in the process of manufacture, and by reason of such angularity they present internally opposing and downwardly converging ridges adapting them to receive and poise a ball 4 lightly, but with efiicient stability. The tee is made of suitable material having in view not only such considerations as availability and adaptability for the use intended, but also economy in substance and in manufacture. In practise it is made of wood.

The method or process of manufacture will now be readily understood;

In Fig. 1, a block 5 is shown which is of wood. It is rectangular and its broken away portion indicates that it may be of any desired size as to length and width,-although its thickness will be a standard dimension conformably to the predeterminedlength of the tee.

"Thetees areto be formed in and cut out from theblock 5, and in-shoppractisethe cutting instrunientalities and the block holder will be so related andrelatively adjustable as: to dispense i with any surface guide markings; but for thepresent descriptionI have shown-such:markings in order tonake the method clear. Using the ordinary terminology for the-faces of a block, namely top, bottom sides and ends,-there are on thetop the dotted lines a a. These are parallel with the planes of the ends oft-he block, and are parallel with each otherand equidistant.

Otherlines .7)Z are alsoon the'top at right anglesto the: lines-aa, parallel with each other, and equidistant by spacesequal'to the spacing of said lines aa, so that the top of the block is thusmarkedoii into a plurality of equal squares of asize predetermined for the ball supporting end of the tee. The bottom o'l'? lthe block, not shown, may be marked in the same way as the top.

1 The front side of the block is marked with lines-co inclined to the planes of the top and bottom, adjacent lines being inclined in opposite directions,spaced apart andmeeting the corresponding lines a-a above and below, in a succession of alternating upright and i reversed triangles.

The ends of the blockareprovided with lines cZ-{Z, successively oppositely .inclined and-meeting the lines Z)Z) above and below ina succession of alternatingupright and reversedtriangles. Theblock5 is first subjeetedto-a suitableplanenhead which cuts out its top between the lines a e, and then,-

by reversingthe bloclnits bottom is subjected to said planer-head which cuts it outbetween the similar lines aa thereon. Such an operation is indicated in Fig.- 8, wherein 6 is the planereheadand 7 isa holder for the block. The cutters 6 ofthe planer head are triangular ones, so that the grooves: 8 in the top and bottom of the block as shown in Figs. 2 and-8- are' in section triangular plane faced V-sha-ped corrugations. hen these cuts are made, the block is turnediatiright angles to its first position and the planerhead then cuts grooves 9 in the top andbottorn between the lines bbQFig. 3) with the result that, as clearlyrshown in said Fig. 3, there are formed in the top, and in the bottom also,'by these intersecting grooves, the

.fcdup front side to said saws, as indicated 'by'the arrow, so that cuts 11 are made into the block firslaalon the lines c-0 inclining in one direction an then along the lines 0-(:

inclining r oppositely,said cuts stopping short of the back of the block in order to preserve tem )orarily asuitable bond. Then, :as shown in 5 lg. 5, the blockis fed end-i. wise alternately to the .singlesaws 10 and 10 wherebycuts 12 are made along the several 1 oppositely-inclined. lines d-ed and these cuts snoeessively sever. transverse rows ofpthe tees from the block. 7

In Figa 9, I; have indicated,-,nioiagmPh cally,; thesaw gan 110,; anddrave shown-ithe blocliholdcr Tcapa le ota tiltinglnovement I in order to present theoppositelyfindined lines 0.0 to thesaws. It ;will=now be clear that byithis method indicated and. carried out bysuch operation,

the.blockwillbecut up and-isepamtedinto a number of'polygoual pyramidal bodies, with angular i bordered ball supporting sockets i in their bases, and with vertexes adapted ,for.

readily penetrating the, ground. -Moreover, this cutting of the block .is without waste, and is economioah in point of time in. thatin contrast, a for 1 example with a turning, opera.- tion involving individualsubjeetion of the work, a multitude :of individuals are here produced simultaneously. -Also by the cut: ting herein described, a tee is'madei with angular body adapted for maximum. upright stability when driveniinto the ground and for ease in penetration ,andsaid tee byits. angular socket, presentsasupport delieatelypoisingthe ball. c

I; claim.: 7

1. A one piece polygonal pyramidal golf tee having in its larger end intersecting, grooves providing upstanding points foltming between them i a ball=supporting socket.

2. A polygonal; pyramidal golf teehaving in zltS .rla-rger end, vintersecting V;gro ove s forming an angular ball-supporting socket.

3. The method of makingithe herein describedigolf tee which comprises cutting out in thetop; and bottom of a block a plura lit-y eachhavingat one end a penetratingyertex and at the other end a ball-supporting socket formed-by the intersection of the grooves.

The method ofimakingithe herein described one piece golf tee, which comprises cutting. out the top and bottom, of .a block to provide a plurality of depnessionsandthen cutting into said block from its sides and ends in flames adapted to divide the block into 'a p urality of alternately reversed olygonal pyramids each having at one en a penetrating vertex and at the other end one of said depressions providing a ball supporting socket.

5. The method of makin the herein described one piece golf tee, t e step of which comprises cutting into a block from its sides and ends in lanes adapted to divide the block into a p urality of alternately reversed polygonal'pyramids each having atone end a penetrating vertex and at the other end affording a means to provide a ball socket.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY A. TOTTEN. 

